PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Human papillomavirus types do not replace others after large-scale vaccination

2012-07-25
(Press-News.org) Vaccines against human papillomavirus (HPV) are now recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for both teenage boys and girls. The vaccine protects against the two most common types of the virus that cause cervical cancer: HPV 16 and 18. Is there a chance that the increased number of people vaccinated might result in an increase of other types of HPV that cause cancer?

A UNC-led international team of scientists studied this question in a group of 2228 Kenyan men as a "nested" trial in a larger trial. Their first paper in the Journal of Infectious Diseases showed that little evidence exists for potential HPV type competition in a cross-sectional study. Viral type competition occurs when different types of a particular virus compete for dominance.

Their new work is reported in the June 18, 2012 early online issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases. Using prospective data, their study presents the first epidemiological data in men on the type-specific associations between prevalent HPV infections and future acquisition of other HPV types.

Jennifer Smith, PhD, MPH, study senior author explains, "We found no evidence for competition between different HPV types over time in high-risk men from Kenya. While these data are based only on non-vaccinated men, our findings are of potential importance because they suggest that HPV types are generally acting independently from one another, and thus it is unlikely that HPV type-replacement will occur following large scale vaccination programs of young male adolescents."

Dr. Smith is an associate professor of epidemiology in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and a member of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

With the recent approval of prophylactic HPV vaccination of young men, data are needed to understand if patterns of HPV acquisition differ among men with specific HPV type infections as compared to men without these HPV infections. The effect of current vaccine-relevant HPV infections on the subsequent acquisition of different HPV types could impact the long-term potential for HPV type replacement following population-based HPV vaccination.

INFORMATION:

Other UNC authors are Anne Rositch, PhD; Michael Hudgens, PhD; and Danielle Backes, PhD. Other authors are from the Universities of Nairobi, Illinois and Manitoba; Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; and the Vrije Universiteit Medical Center in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Funding for the research was provided by the National Cancer Institute, the National Institutes of Health, the UNC Center for AIDS Research, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and an NIH predoctoral training grant.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

To understand childhood obesity, researchers look to inactive, fat rats

2012-07-25
BETHESDA, Md. (July 24, 2012)—Childhood obesity has nearly tripled in the past three decades, and by 2009, 17 percent of those 2-19 years of age were classified as obese. If actions against childhood obesity do not take place it is likely that today's children could be the first generation in over a century to experience a decline in life expectancy due to the epidemic of childhood obesity which leads to complications in later life. While little is known about how inactivity and obesity lead to undesirable side effects such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers, ...

How a common fungus knows when to attack

2012-07-25
BOSTON—The opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans inconspicuously lives in our bodies until it senses that we are weak, when it quickly adapts to go on the offensive. The fungus, known for causing yeast and other minor infections, also causes a sometimes-fatal infection known as candidemia in immunocompromised patients. An in vivo study, published in mBio, demonstrates how C. albicans can distinguish between a healthy and an unhealthy host and alter its physiology to attack. "The ability of the fungus to sense the immune status of its host may be key to its ability ...

Researchers study knee stress at tissue, cellular levels

2012-07-25
A Cleveland Clinic research team is developing virtual models of human knee joints to better understand how tissues and their individual cells react to heavy loads – virtual models that someday can be used to understand damage mechanisms caused by the aging process or by debilitating diseases, such as osteoarthritis. Led by Ahmet Erdemir, Ph.D., the team is leveraging the powerful computing systems of the Ohio Supercomputer Center to develop state-of-the-art computational representations of the human body to understand how movement patterns and loads on the joints deform ...

Undergrads invent cell phone screener to combat anemia in developing world

2012-07-25
Could a low-cost screening device connected to a cell phone save thousands of women and children from anemia-related deaths and disabilities? That's the goal of Johns Hopkins biomedical engineering undergraduates who've developed a noninvasive way to identify women with this dangerous blood disorder in developing nations. The device, HemoGlobe, is designed to convert the existing cell phones of health workers into a "prick-free" system for detecting and reporting anemia at the community level. The device's sensor, placed on a patient's fingertip, shines different wavelengths ...

Red potato chips: Segmentation cues can substantially decrease food intake

2012-07-25
Once you pop the top of a tube of potato chips, it can be hard to stop munching its contents. But Cornell University researchers may have found a novel way to help: edible serving-size markers that act as subconscious stop signs. As part of an experiment carried out on two groups of college students (98 students total) while they were watching video clips in class, researchers from Cornell's Food and Brand Lab served tubes potato chips, some of which contained chips dyed red. Researchers found that the red chips served as subconscious "stop signs" that curtailed the amount ...

'Control-Alt-Hack' game lets players try their hand at computer security

2012-07-25
Do you have what it takes to be an ethical hacker? Can you step into the shoes of a professional paid to outsmart supposedly locked-down systems? Now you can at least try, no matter what your background, with a new card game developed by University of Washington computer scientists. "Control-Alt-Hack" gives teenage and young-adult players a taste of what it means to be a computer-security professional defending against an ever-expanding range of digital threats. The game's creators will present it this week in Las Vegas at Black Hat 2012, an annual information-security ...

Mount Sinai researchers discover new target for vaccine development in abundant immune cells

2012-07-25
White blood cells called neutrophils, which are the first line of defense against infection, play an unexpected role by boosting antibody production, according to research led by Mount Sinai School of Medicine. The findings suggest neutrophils have multiple roles within the immune system and function at levels previously unknown to the scientific community. The research, published in Nature Immunology, provides groundbreaking insight into possible new approaches in vaccine development for blood-borne infections and HIV. Neutrophils are part of the so-called innate immune ...

New method to find novel connections from gene to gene, drug to drug and between scientists

2012-07-25
Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have developed a new computational method that will make it easier for scientists to identify and prioritize genes, drug targets, and strategies for repositioning drugs that are already on the market. By mining large datasets more simply and efficiently, researchers will be able to better understand gene-gene, protein-protein, and drug/side-effect interactions. The new algorithm will also help scientists identify fellow researchers with whom they can collaborate. Led by Avi Ma'ayan, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pharmacology ...

Hitting back at 'wiretapping' parasite

2012-07-25
VIDEO: Parasitic vines like dodder are major pests. UC Davis plant biologist Neelima Sinha talks about her work which helps plants fight off these parasites by attacking the connections where they... Click here for more information. Dodder vines are parasitic plants that suck water, nutrients and information from other plants as they spread over them. Plant biologists at the University of California, Davis, have now shown that they can make plants resistant to dodder by attacking ...

Tropical plankton invade Arctic waters

2012-07-25
For the first time, scientists have identified tropical and subtropical species of marine protozoa living in the Arctic Ocean. Apparently, they traveled thousands of miles on Atlantic currents and ended up above Norway with an unusual—but naturally cyclic—pulse of warm water, not as a direct result of overall warming climate, say the researchers. On the other hand: arctic waters are warming rapidly, and such pulses are predicted to grow as global climate change causes shifts in long-distance currents. Thus, colleagues wonder if the exotic creatures offers a preview of climate-induced ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Thirty-year mystery of dissonance in the “ringing” of black holes explained

Less intensive works best for agricultural soil

Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation

Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests

Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome

UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership

New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll

Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes

University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025

Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025

AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials

New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age

Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker

Chips off the old block

Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia

Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry

Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19

Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity

State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections

Young adults drive historic decline in smoking

NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research

Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development

This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack

FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology

In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity

Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects

A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions

AI helps unravel a cause of Alzheimer's disease and identify a therapeutic candidate

Coalition of Autism Scientists critiques US Department of Health and Human Services Autism Research Initiative

Structure dictates effectiveness, safety in nanomedicine

[Press-News.org] Human papillomavirus types do not replace others after large-scale vaccination